Having a boat jam-packed with big characters and inspirational leaders can only be a good thing when you are pushing your body to the limit in an attempt to defeat an old foe.

President Lance Tredell and vice-president Ben Ruble are the only two returning Blues in Cambridge’s Boat Race crew this year, but there is a wealth of experience to call upon.

And the man who will be straining every sinew in the No 6 seat against Oxford University on the Tideway has all the right credentials.

American Pat Eble is a member of the National Honor Society, which recognises high school students who have demonstrated excellence in scholarship, service, leadership and character.

Now 22, Eble, who calls Fort Washington, Pennsylvania home, is enjoying being part of a team in which every member feels they have a voice and can ultimately influence its success.

“I try to be a leader as much as I can, and I think what’s special about this team is that, yes, we have Lance as president and Ben as vice-president, but we all do a good job feeding off each other’s leadership skills,” said Eble. “I tend not to be the most vocal at the top of the bandwagon, but we all feed off each other’s strengths and that’s important.

“We’ve all taken pieces from what we’ve learned before and are trying to put it all together for what we want to achieve at Cambridge, so that’s a real positive for us.”

Eble, who is studying for an MPhil in environmental policy at Hughes Hall, had always watched the annual meeting on the Thames back home.

Now, having crossed the Atlantic, getting the opportunity to try to write his name in history is not something he wants to let slip through his grasp.

“As a collegiate rower in the US there is always a handful of guys who go over and do the Boat Race, and so I always thought ‘wow I’d like to be a part of that’,” said Eble.

“It wasn’t a reality until my senior year when I thought I’d throw an application in and see what happened. Obviously the Boat Race is a very unique and seminal experience, and so different to US college rowing.

“That’s another reason I was so interested in doing it – it’s not just 2k races every weekend, it’s a very specific race on one day against one team and different from anything else you could ever do in rowing. That’s a major draw and why it’s something I wanted to be a part of.”

Eble attended Princeton University, so the 2012 renewal of the Boat Race particularly sticks in his mind as Jack Lindeman represented the institution in the Light Blue boat that year.

After the temporary halting of the battle because of protestor Trenton Oldfield swimming in front of the two boats, Lindeman helped Cambridge achieve success.

Pat Eble.

And having tried his hand at basketball, baseball and American football – “kind of your classic three American sports” – rowing became his major passion, with international experience gained in both the World Junior Championships and World Championships.

“The Boat Race is less popular in the US than in England of course, but it’s well known, especially in collegiate rowing circles,” said Eble.

“There was a guy Jack Lindeman who was in the Boat Race in 2012, so he was over there and I saw him and thought ‘he’s a Princeton guy doing the Boat Race, maybe it’s something I could be a part of’. There are a host of other US collegiate guys that go over and their experience is always positive.

“I rowed in high school, but I did a bunch of other sports beforehand. I got cut from basketball and wondered what I would do next, and I picked up rowing almost on a lark. Pretty much immediately I knew it was what I wanted to be doing.

“I found some success early on, especially with the international team stuff, and it’s got me to here.”